KNIGHTS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC epI
by Darth Apophas
Summary: As the Jedi return to the galaxy at the helm of the New Republic, an evil grows in the darkness, rumors of a new threat calling themselves the First Order are circulating across the galaxy, political tension rising in the senate and the dark side is seeping into the minds of the Jedi. All it takes is one spark to ignite the chaos that is approaching.
1. Dawn of the Jedi

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

The EMPIRE has been defeated! After a series of daring struggles the heroic Rebellion has finally brought an end to the Imperial menace and their SITH overlords. With the final victory at JAKKHU, the remaining loyal supporters of the Emperor have fled into wild space leaving the NEW REPUBLIC to take control over the galaxy and a new JEDI order protecting them.

LUKE SKYWALKER, Jedi Knight and Rebellion hero now trains a new generation of Jedi who will go on to defend the galaxy from any threat. From the forest world of OSSUS, Skywalker launches a galaxy wide campaign stationing Jedi to every system to secure Republic rule, eradicate any Imperial sympathisers and ensure peace and security.

On the ruined planet of TARIS, a close friend of Luke and fellow Jedi master LUCIEN DRAAY and his covenant overlook the training of five young Padawans as they are about to be promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight and sent off-world to establish the peace this system desperately needs…

 **Dawn of the Jedi**

"The planet that was destroyed is now being re-made". That was a cry that echoed across the cosmos as a cry for hope. As the last of the Imperial home-worlds fell and the New Republic took charge of the Galaxy, that line was used to rally the dissidents and unknown citizens who suffered under the empire's heel to look up and see the progress that a united, peaceful galaxy could achieve. "If we work together, then all will benefit, all the wrongs will be made right and even the ruined Taris will return to glory". Taris; what was once a bustling metropolis turned to an empty husk, its towers fell long before Palpatine's reign yet its rusting mega structure was a warning to many, that if the Empire succeeded, then all worlds would suffer Taris' same fate.

The rebuilding of Taris started millennia ago with the culling of the Rakghouls, vicious plague carrying creatures who were once citizens of Taris. The plague transformed innocent lives into animals, one scratch from a Rakghoul and it would all be over. This factor made the rebuilding effort almost impossible back in the day; many precautions were taken; droids replacing live workers, weekly vaccinations for the public as well as establishing curfews and exclusion zones. All this was reciprocated today, even today, the Rakghoul menace persist. The consular Raana Tey calls it a "parting gift from the Ancient Sith". Yet rebuilding halted when the Clone Wars began, expenses were too much, particularly on a non-republic world, the senate wanted to continue the project led by Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo. Her vision for Taris along with much of the Senate was to make Taris a haven for refugees of war "Now more than ever must the construction of Taris continue" she said to her fellow senators after the battle of Christophsis when it was emptied after the separatist Invasion. Her cries went unanswered which was why the New Republic wishes to fix the errors of the Old Republic. The Chancellor used his emergency powers to redirect the rebuilding effort towards the production of the Republic Navy and Project Icon as it had named was cancelled.

However this opened the doors for private benefactors. Project Icon was claimed by the independent Draay foundation who sought to deal in galactic incidences and crises. They were denied involvement in the Clone Wars from both sides to prevent any bias on their part. The foundation was led by Krynda Draay or as she was known then as Krynda Hulis since she was illegally married to the Jedi Guardian Barrison Draay. As Barrison stood guard over the Jedi temple she overlooked the mass amounts of charities and funds that her husband was to inherit regardless of the Jedi's law against possessions. The foundation established a new planetary government on Taris, hid it under the radar when the Empire took over. As the Rebels and Imperials fought the skyscrapers of Taris were rising again. Although Krynda and Barrison died early, their task was passed to their son Lucien who like his father before him inherited a powerful connection to the Force. Unbeknownst to Luke, the Draay foundation had prepared for the return of the Jedi; they gathered artefacts, recovered lost Jedi texts and saved many a youngling from the Inquisitors and begin training them in the ways of the force. An enclave was established on Hosnian Prime, hidden away from prying eyes and when Luke defeated the Sith, the enclave revealed themselves and without hesitation submitted to the teachings of their new grand master, Luke Skywalker.

Lucien remained on Taris, assisting the authorities along with its new senator in maintain order. Taris is on the border with the unknown regions, it is the most extravagant world for light years, and only the core worlds are this lavish. Knowing this the Jedi sees Taris as a target for anyone wanting to strike at the Republic, taking Taris would allow the enemy to launch further campaigns at Chandrila, Coruscant and even the Hosnian System. Securing it under Republic control is crucial and the Jedi intend to use their best Knights to do so.

Well, their best Knights and Zayne Carrick


	2. The hunted conman

"I can do this, I am one with the Force, and the force is with me, I can do this" he thought, perched precariously on a rooftop two stories up. He was waiting and mentally preparing himself for the arrival of his target, repeating his mantra constantly in his head "I am one with the force and the force is with me, I am one with the force and the force is with me". This was the moment when he could prove to his masters that he could complete a mission, the moment he could prove he is worthy of being a Jedi.

Below him was a bustling street with market stalls lining the pavement, no room for speeders or any kind of vehicle as the amount of people were too many. The side street led out to a huge chasm on one end where many a speeder bike whizzed passed at tremendous speed, to the other end was an open-air courtyard where more stalls were set up, selling food; utensils, fabric, clothing, weapons and more. At its centre was a much larger stool that sold Sky-hoppers and other forms of cheap aircraft. This side street was the back end of the market where more shady deals were dealt, some spice and black-market goods were on offer, he himself was standing on the roof of a full-time club with dancers working on a regular basis. On any other day he would have informed the authorities immediately, but today he was too busy concerning himself with one target more than any.

In front of him on the other side of the street from the club was a huge towering skyscraper. It was a hotel of sought that would provide accommodation to anyone who spent too long at the club and needed a place to spend the night, it was also a good place to enact business transactions with the upper levels. Taris, much like Coruscant has many levels; the lowest level is the ruined city which is where the Rakghouls still roam unchecked, the next level up is the slums which is said to be so deep that no sunlight ever reaches it, the next level is called shade-town where all the criminals and villains live without fear of the authorities from above, higher up is the lower city where workers work in the factories and refineries, the middle city is next which is home to many of the working class people who simply live their lives without worry and finally the highest level is the upper city which is home to the senators, politicians managers and other kinds of rich folk who benefit from the toils of those who live beneath them. The Jedi enclave is stationed in the upper city and watch over any criminal activity of the lower levels, especially when they creep out of the dark into the upper city.

"TARGET = INBOUND/ INCOMMING ORDERS/ DISABLE + EXTRACT" in a series of beeps his com unit told him of the arrival of his intended target, in response he took of his backpack to reveal the components needed to make a fully functional sniper rifle. As he joins the components together the nerves inside build up and he continues to use his mantra as a coping method, though this time he says it aloud "I am one with the force and the force is with me, I am one with the force and the force is with me". He places the weapon atop a tripod and aims it towards the window across the street in the hotel. Suddenly a speeder turns off the main chasm and flies above the crowd in the street, to prevent him being caught he quickly picks up the whole weapon and hides behind a billboard on the roof of the club advertising the new BB range of Astromech droids. The speeder lands on a balcony of the hotel, for a brief moment he peeks at the driver as he gets out of the vehicle, it was him.

Marn Hierogryph: Wanted for several accounts of illegal smuggling, fraud, forgery, assaulting a Taris official and the possession of stolen goods from Adascorp. He may not be the most wanted criminal in the galaxy, nor is he the most wanted criminal on Taris but he has been a nuisance since the beginning. Particularly as he has never been able to be caught yet. That's what happens when you assign Zayne Carrick to do a job, it never gets done.

But this time it was different, Zayne had everything planned, in his mind he was prepared for every eventuality, every escape route had been accounted for. This time he was going to get him. He threw a small circular metal object into the sky, as it was flung it switched itself on and hovered in the air above Zayne. He then used his com unit to connect to the signal of the tiny probe droid. A small red light appeared on his glove indicating that the probe droid was working, and he could hear what was going on in the hotel room ahead. "my friends, my friends, how good to see you! Mikhael have you lost some weight? Borag! How's the wives?" Hierogryph's voice was like gravel, deep and sharp. It seemed that he had organised a meeting with two or more associates for a transaction, the question is, what are they dealing? "I hope you have what we asked for Hierogryph, our client is getting impatient" one of the tradesman said, it was unclear which one as the probe only recorded sound and not visual images. "Oh my dear Mikhael, you know me, I wouldn't come up all this way to the upper city just to disappoint you, you'd kill me if I did" It was at this point that another green light appeared on Zayne's glove, he immediately put on a pair of goggles over his eyes and looked upon the hotel window, the green light indicated Marn's location in the room. Seeing his target through the visors he set up the sniper rifle in the appropriate position ready to strike.

"there you go my lad, twelve canisters of Isotope-3 extracted from Concord Dawn, now let me tell you it came at a significant price, damn Mandalorians"

"hey, my sister is a Mandalorian"

"but Borag you're Rodian"

Canisters were set on the table between Hierogryph and his buyers, a deal was about to be made "if I'm gonna do this I gotta do it now" Zayne thought as he pointed the gun towards the window, Marn moved across the room to Mikhael, ready to shake on the deal. Zayne took a deep breath and activated the rifle. "Hey what's that on the canister" Mikhael pointed towards one to inspect a red dot upon it "Uh it looks like a red eye" Marn quickly traced the light back to its source across the road to the roof of the club "GET DOWN!" he screamed as he jumped out of the room onto the balcony. The shot was fired and hit the canister creating a massive explosion that blasted glass and debris out onto the street.

Zayne quickly ducked as rubble fell over him, as the smoke cleared he looked at his rifle "how powerful is this thing?" then he remembered the conversation "Oh I hit the Istotope, oh kriff" he raised his arm to speak into the com "Padawan Carrick, requesting medical craft, something went wrong" he looked around to see civilians running for their lives away from the explosion and felt immense guilt, the thought though cleared when he could see on the balcony a figure rising from the smoke. A small, hunched alien with a large stomach, small legs and a really large mouth. It was Marn.

"Hey!" he shouted, Marn saw him and responded in surprise "You!?" Zayne didn't respond, instead he just raised his rifle and fired several shots in Marn's direction hitting everything except Marn. Hierogyph had enough and ran for his speeder but Zayne managed to hit the vehicle causing it to explode also, only not as large as the one prior. Again, reacting to the explosion Zayne checked the gun for anything unusual and then he realised "Oh I didn't set it to stun" as he fiddled with the controls Marn got up and quickly yelled "you shoot like a stormtrooper!" but doing so was a mistake as the moment he finished that sentence Zayne had configured the rifle correctly and started shooting blue circular blasts towards the con-man.

Marn dived to the floor to avoid the shots coming from the other roof-top, to save energy Zayne stopped firing, this gave Marn the chance to escape. At the opportune moment he jumped to his feet and returned fire using a pistol he got from his coat's inside pocket, these shots were deadly, so Zayne got to cover as soon as the shots began, this was the moment to escape. Hierogryph stopped shooting and leaped onto the various rooftops along the side of the street, he was heading into the courtyard market. Seeing this Zayne pursued him along the rooftops on the other side of the street, both dodging obstacles along with the occasional blaster fire from their opponent. Marn threw a thermal detonator at the other side causing Zayne to halt in his tracks and jump into the street to avoid the blast. Now he couldn't see Marn on the roof, for a moment he stopped and thought calmly, trying to anticipate what Marn would do next, remembering the contingency plans he put in place until he realised "The Sky-hopper!"

Zayne sprinted towards the central stool in the market, he tried to run as fast as he could despite the people and aliens in his way. As he approached the speeder shop he could see that one ship had activated and was beginning to fly away, he could see the entrance to the ship was still open and in the cockpit was Hierogryph preparing to launch. Without hesitation Zayne force leaped into the ship and tackled Marn away from the controls. Thinking he had him on the ground ready for capture he realised the ship had not been stabilised and with no-one at the controls the Sky-hopper began to spin where it was. This commotion caused everyone in the area to flee as the ship began to collide into market stalls along with the ground before rising back up again. Inside the cockpit Marn had used the turbulence to break free from Zayne and in return tackled him to the ground, the two were precariously close to the open airlock that still had not been closed, they were both on the edge when Zayne reached for his Jedi weapon and held it to Marn's head. Knowing what happens next Marn let go of Carrick and reached for the controls to stabilise the ship, this gave Zayne the chance to stand only to see the grin on Hierogryph's face as he held the controls of the ship "see ya around kid" and he pushed a lever down made the ship go into vertical ascent. Zayne fell instantly out of the airlock and plummeted down towards the ground.

He could see his target getting away yet again as he fell, suddenly he stopped in mid-air, just a few inches above the ground. This feeling of weightlessness lasted a few seconds before whatever was holding him let go and he landed back down. He was carefully getting himself back on his knees when he saw the blade of a blue lightsaber directly in front of him. He looked up to see a young adult human Jedi Knight backed up with the constable and her police force managing the chaos around them. "you certainly know how to get everyone's attention, Zayne Carrick" and with that the black-haired Jedi removed Zayne's goggles to reveal his own human, brown haired, youthful look. Zayne responded as soon as he learnt the identity of who stood before him "and you know how to save a Padawan who was about to die in free fall, thank you, Ben Solo…"


	3. The oncoming war

**The oncoming war**

The two entered Bens' speeder, walking past traumatised shop owners with slight scars and bruises from the explosion. "I feel awful" Zayne said as he got into the vehicle "relax, no-one got hurt" Ben said as he too got in, Zayne sat shotgun saying, "it looks like they're hurt", Ben responded "well, no one died" and the speeder whizzed away from the scene.

10 minutes of silence passed, Ben was driving whilst Zayne sat depressed in the adjacent seat. Ben decided to break the ice by changing the subject "Am I really that boring?" Zayne was unmoved, yet Ben continued "Wow, Ben Solo, Jedi Knight and not a single response. Must be really popular with the teenage crowd" Zayne decided to respond, still upset as he was before though "I'm sorry, usually I'd be like 'yay ben solo' and Shad's going to be so jealous of me for meeting you but…" Ben looked at him "No please, go on" Zayne took a deep sigh and continued "Today was supposed to be the day y'know. The day I finally prove that I am worthy of being a Jedi and like all the other times I blew it" Ben was being his optimistic self the history books claimed he was "nonsense, everyone has the potential to be a Jedi, what have you got that makes you think you're not worthy?" Zayne responded instantly as if he had been asked that question before on many occasions "I suffer from Medichloric Deformity" Ben then slightly shifted away from Zayne before responding "well, that shouldn't hold you back, and even if it does you can serve the republic in more ways than just being a Jedi" Zayne replied in a similar manner than before "yeah but imagine my epitaph 'here lies Zayne Carrick, the first drop-out of the New Jedi Order'" Ben Solo chuckled to himself only to see Zayne being un-moved, "At least you'll get an epitaph, some people live through their lives devoid of any adventure, those people who don't try to be anything more than themselves are those who will be forgotten, now you don't want to be one of those people do you" Zayne thinks to himself for a few seconds and then he says "living a life where no-one mocks you, puts their faith in you only to be disappointed, a live under the radar? Sounds like paradise" he looks to Ben only to find that there was no response at all from the Jedi, he was merely focusing on the lane in front of him "I try master I really do" now Ben suddenly responded "what's that famous saying? Do or do not" and Zayne finished his sentence for him "there is no try, yeah, I know. You really do sound like him"

"who"

"Luke Skywalker, I mean it was a long time ago I last met him but you seem to embody his… um…" Zayne realised he didn't plan his sentence through in his head "well, you sound like him that's all" It was at this moment that Zayne had missed the obvious question "what are you doing here exactly?" Ben looked at him for a moment, he was about to say something but he stopped himself from doing so, instead he looked forward and said "I'm leaving" Zayne's mouth dropped but Ben wasn't finished "not the Jedi, but I've left Ossus and I'm heading to the front, I've just stopped on Taris to pick up some last minute supplies" Zayne was going to inquire further _"why is he leaving"_ he thought but he didn't ask anything more.

Except "the front? Your heading there? Why?" He could tell that Ben was uneasy talking about this subject, but he wanted to know more "If there's one thing I learnt whilst learning under Skywalker it's that you should never underestimate your enemy. The First Order may be a nuisance now, some petty extremists on the edge of republic space but if they are left unchecked then their power will grow, as a Jedi it is my duty to face this menace before it becomes too great, you should come with us" Zayne briefly thought of a future where he accepted that invitation, but the thought passed as soon as it came "I can't, I'm useless in peace time let alone on the battlefield and besides, I've already got plans"

By this point the speeder arrived at its destination, the Jedi Enclave. A labyrinth of gardens and courtyards surrounding a huge tower with the counsel chambers at the top floor. The speeder parked in the warehouse just on the edge of the gardens. When they arrived two Feeorin honour guards were there to greet them, Zayne exited the speeder to enter the Enclave, he turned back to see that Ben was not leaving "are you not coming, the temple is open to all Jedi, and I can't wait to see the look on Shad's face when he finds out I've hung out with Ben Solo" he slightly laughed at the thought, Ben reciprocated but his smile quickly dropped "No thanks I'm alright, remember Carrick, that offer still stands, I'd be proud to have you among the knights of Ren" Zayne felt a bit star struck "really, me!? A knight of Ren? Have you even met anyone who knows me cause I think they'll say otherwise" but Ben cut him off "You've got potential Zayne, one day you'll find your calling, and if the past is too much to bear then forget it, kill it. A man is defined by his actions, not the actions of those around him" The speeder darted off, leaving Zayne in the hanger bay by himself.

"Padawan Carrick" a Feeorin guardsman called "Master Draay wishes for you to report to him immediately". The guardsman marched off with Zayne alone thinking to himself _"oh no, I've got a bad feeling about this"_.


	4. A master and an apprentice

**A master and an apprentice**

Lucien Draay was second only to Skywalker. His legacy is that of preservation of the Jedi code and teachings. His father Barisson was a temple guard for the stronghold on Coruscant, his mother Krynda was also force sensitive, her skill was the art of finding others like her, she could sense the presence of force sensitives from across the galaxy. She founded the covenant, each one of the five consular on Taris are indebted to her finding them before the Empire did. They were also gifted, each one of them yet they needed a leader, one who could channel their skills into a tool that could be used against the Sith. That was Lucien's role, he may not be as clairvoyant as Q'Anilia or as physically strong as Feln but he had a vision for the galaxy, Lucien was driven by his desire for peace and it was this desire that made him cross paths with Luke Skywalker. Lucien was not enamoured by the deeds of Luke nor did he agree with the reforms Skywalker made to the new order, but he was loyal to the cause none the less. When project Icon finishes, Lucien would move to the galaxy beyond and send his message of unification across the cosmos. There was only one problem standing in his way, his apprentice…

There is very little information regarding Zayne Carrick, the family name can be traced back to the smuggler's planet of Scillia. What is known regarding Carrick is nothing but poor grades, low attendance records and a string of referrals from tutors warning others not to teach him. He was placed under the tutorship of Lucien, a decision the Jedi master soon regretted. Zayne Carrick is a blight to the Jedi order. The purpose of the new order is to establish stability, yet all Carrick can do is break bridges rather than building them. His connection to the force is tenuous due to a genetic disorder in his blood stream, this prevents him from performing large feats such as lifting an x-wing out of a swamp. The question is then; why is he in the program to begin with? A question even Zayne asks himself.

"you wanted to see me master" he nervously said as he entered his master's private office. The walls were a shade of deep red, columns of gold and platinum held up the richly decorated ceiling. Before him was a wide window looking out onto the city. Between him and the window was a lavish desk with relics upon it. To his left was Lucien's private meditation centre of which he exited along with the miraluka consular Master Q'Anilia. Both wore expensive clothing made from fine fabric, Q'Anilia was cloaked in shades of purple and red, a simple white cloth covered the region where eyes would usually be found. Lucien as always wore his white and golden attire, like the attire of his father as seen in paintings and holo-recordings. "Thank you master" he said as Q'Anilia left the office in silence, Zayne too bowed as she walked past him. "I got a call from the constable, she's agreed not to press charges as technically you were attacking a spice den and acting in service of the authorities" Lucien didn't even look at his apprentice as he spoke, he chose instead to look out the window onto the view before them "thank you master" Zayne replied in the only way he could, just be content with the punishment. But Lucien did not raise his voice, his manner matched that of disappointment more than anger "And you know what that means don't you" Zayne responded "yes master" it meant he had failed the Jedi for the last time "you know I thought at one point you would make it, the day I gave you that lightsaber I thought you would learn from your mistakes and rise to become as good as your fellow students. But now I see it was a fool's hope to think that". Now he turned to face Zayne "now as I look at you I see the clown everyone else sees, you don't deserve to live here in this enclave and you certainly do not deserve to carry that weapon" Zayne couldn't look into his masters eyes as the insults kept coming "I'm sorry master" Lucien was quick to react "you will be, because without the arrest of Marn Hierogryph you have failed the trials, today was your last chance before the ceremony tomorrow, there is nothing more I can do for you Zayne. Tomorrow you will lose your title, you will lose your lightsaber and you will be sent back to Ossus in which I hope to never see the sight of you again".

Zayne slowly turned to the doorway, still looking down at the floor, as he is about to leave he says to his master "I'm sorry I failed you" but Lucien is un-moved "I suggest you take one last look at this temple young one, it's doubtful you'll see it again. And for what it's worth, I failed you". And the two parted ways.

Zayne spent the rest of his morning packing up his belongings with the Pod-racing on in the background. He spent almost an hour wallowing in his own failures thinking of how he could have corrected his mistakes, thinking of other ways he could have succeeded in catching Hierogryph. This depressive mindset was shattered at the arrival of a blond haired human male. It was his closest friend Shad Jelavan "hey buddy" he sympathetically said as he sat next to Zayne's case as he was packing, "hey, so I guess you heard" Zayne responded, "yeah it's kinda on the news, a big explosion in Malaki square, I'm sorry Zayne". Zayne appreciated his friend's maturity to the situation, usually Shad has a bit of an ego, something master Q'Anilia has said he needs to improve on, usually in these situations Shad would change the subject suddenly whilst failing to grasp the seriousness of Zayne's actions. "why didn't you tell me?" he inquired "tell you what?"

"That you met Ben kriffing Solo!" It seems this moment was like all the others "well y'know I have had a difficult day with losing Marn Hierogryph again, Lucien hates me and I'm gonna be kicked out of the enclave"

"But you met Ben Solo! Oh, dude I'm so jealous. You know its been my lifelong dream to be a knight of Ren" Zayne was quick to respond "they've only been around a few years" but Shad was quicker "and it's been my lifelong dream to be a knight of Ren ever since" Zayne got back to packing his suitcase. Shad could tell that his best friend wanted to be alone, but he knew Zayne too well, he knew there was only one way of making him happy.

"Shel's outside" Zayne froze on the spot before turning to his friend and giving him a massive grin before rushing out the door "works every time" Shad said and followed afterwards.

Zayne ran to the warehouse where he could see her leaning against his Joben T-85 speeder bike. The moment she clocked him her face lit up and a small giggle came out of her mouth. Like her brother, Shel Jelavan was blonde haired with blue eyes, her youthful figure was that of sophistication, innocence and in Zayne's eyes, beauty. The two knew each other since they were younglings on Ossus, while Shad was the gifted one in the force it was Shel who was the brains of the family. Even now in her teens she is overseeing her families' entire estate after the sudden demise of her and Shads parents. Now only Shel and her two brothers are left yet under her guidance the family still stand tall.

"hey Zee" Zee being her personal nickname for Zayne "I thought you'd be disappointed" he said as he approached her "Why would I be? There is nothing I would change about you Zee, except maybe the haircut" the two chuckled together until Zayne realised a harsh truth "It's my last day tomorrow" Shel simply responded by saying "I know, Shad told me what happened" Zayne was about to go back into his previous depressive mood but he knew he couldn't be sad now, particularly when Shel is around "Lets make the most of it" and with that he mounted the speeder bike, held out his hand to Shel inviting her to sit in the passenger's seat, she takes his offer and straps herself in. "where are we going?" she asked, the engines revved to life "where it all started" and the two raced of into the city leaving the enclave behind them.

Lucien could see the speeder leaving from his office window along with Q'Anilia who stood beside him "I see your mind Lucien, you're having second thoughts about our decision" Lucien turned to face her "we chose to do this together, we must do this, tomorrow the galaxy will change forever…"


	5. So what happens now?

**So what happens now?**

It took an hour to reach their destination, the speeder zig-zagged between various towers and skyscrapers, all of which had some form of construction crew renovating the buildings or making them taller than before. The sun just began to set when Zayne and Shel arrived at the outskirts of the city. They parked at a smaller tower that at first glance appeared similar to the towers they previously flew passed. But this building held sentimental value for the two, without saying anything Zayne held Shel's hand and guided her up the flights of stairs to the top floor, as they reached the roof they were surrounded by a mixture of old stone columns from a previous time with newer kinds of metal and scaffolding showing that like the others this building too was being repaired. No-one else was present, the only other beings in the building were worker droids, occasionally some scavengers from the Lower City would come for scraps but this was a rare occurrence. This building was empty for both Zayne and Shel to enjoy, this was their old playhouse.

When Zayne was first brought to Taris he was frightened of becoming a Padawan, so scared that one night he ran away from the order and took up temporary refuge in this tower, he chose it not for the amenities or facilities (as there were none) but for the majestic view from the roof. From this vantage point he could see across the vast forests and jungles beyond the city, he would sit and watch the sunset on the horizon, imagining a life outside the Jedi Temple, to this day he still has that dream. This was why he came back to this spot, to look at the sunset on Taris one last time.

Shel and Zayne often played along the ramparts of the tower as younglings, sometimes they would invite Shad or the others, but they often found that just being alone was excitement enough. Zayne loved being with Shel because she was hope to him that there was more to life than being a Jedi, that if he was kicked out of the order he would still have her, but Shel herself is growing out of the childhood dreams they used to have.

Shel Jelaven no longer visits as often as she could, the reason for this is down to her enrolment at the Republic Dawn Academy on Corellia, her dream was to become a senator like her hero Leia Organa but time and family tragedies have not been kind to her, now she has to sacrifice her dreams to become a glorified secretary for her families estates whilst also doubling up as an assistant for Senetor Goravvus on Taris. These tasks along with studying mean that she can not see her friend Zayne as much as she wants to. Yet in this one moment they finally have time for each other.

As the two reached the roof the sun was about to set, Zayne took his jedi robes and lay it down on the ground like a picnic blanket for the two to sit on. "this is perfect" Shel said as she sat next to him, Zayne responded by saying "I know, our old hideout, exactly as it was except for the construction site, and is it me or is there a ticking noise coming from somewhere?" Shel just admired the view "this is exactly what I wanted for today, being here again, seeing you again" Zayne looked into her eyes, he wanted to tell her, and now might be the last time he could tell her "Shel? What we have, I'm ready to go to the next step" She looked puzzled at his unique phrasing "Zayne are you gonna get down on one knee, cause we're already sat down" Zayne decided to course correct "no, not that, not yet anyway" Shel's eyebrows rose in a manner Zayne wanted to change "that's not what I meant, what I mean is, now that I'm out of the order, we can have an open relationship" Shel looked away at the sunset with a look of disappointment and sadness "Zayne, we spoke about this, we can't have an open relationship when I'm on Corellia and your on Ossus, trillions of miles away" Zayne was quick to respond "ever heard of long distance? Love is stronger than the light years between us" Shel giggled but replied just as quick "maybe that's a bit too far, and besides you can't leave the order, being a Jedi is your dream"

"you're my dream Shel"

"then maybe that's your problem, listen to yourself, you talk of love and marriage as though life is a poem or a play. But it isn't, how long since we last spoke, a year, more? Oh Zee you still hold on to hope, that's what I love about you, but the Force is pulling us apart whether we like it or not"

"you've met someone"

Zayne may not be the best in lightsaber combat, but he can at moments read people's faces "I'm sorry, I thought we were passed this childhood romance, you're a Jedi, you're not supposed to be tied down like this, get out of here, see the stars, have the adventures we used to dream, have the adventure I never can" Shel was saddened for Zayne, she really wanted him to succeed, but she also wanted him to fail so they could be together, it is because of this that she feels responsible for Zayne's predicament. "well it's too late now" Zayne said staring at the descending sun "without the capture of Marn Hierogryph I've failed the trials". Shel is used to dealing with contracts and deals, she can always spot a misprint or a loophole somewhere "when is the knighting ceremony?" she inquires "tomorrow, after the banquet" the sun finally sets beyond the horizon "that's exactly twelve hours from now" Zayne looked at her oddly "so?" Shel was quick to explain "so that gives you twelve hours to find him and pass" For a moment Zayne seemed optimistic, he thought he could pull it off, but then it occurred to him "how am I supposed to find him in twelve hours, what am I meant to" but he stopped mid-sentence "Zayne?" Shel inquired "Has that ticking noise sped up?" suddenly his eyes widened when he realised where the sound was coming from…

"GET DOWN!" He grabbed her and pushed her into an alcove when a massive explosion went off behind them. The blast hurtled zayne to the edge of the roof, centimetres away from falling off. He was struggling to recover, Shel hid behind a pillar and peeked to see if he was alright but then blaster fire came from the sky towards her. She couldn't see the source of the shots, but Zayne just about could from his position, he reached for his lightsaber when a voice came from beside him "hands up Jedi scum!" he looked to his left to see the unmistakeable armour of a First Order stormtrooper with a blaster pointed at his head. Zayne was carefully raising his hands as the trooper demanded when abruptly a blue lightsaber blade impaled him through the chest killing him dead. As he dropped to the floor Zayne could see the attacker was none other than Shad Jevalan who obviously must have followed him to the tower. "you leave for what an hour? And you decide to take on the First Order single-handedly? And you decide to do it without me!?" He jokingly said as he lent a hand for Zayne to get up, more stormtroopers dropped down onto the floor facing the two padawans, "uh Shad?" Zayne said as their assailants pointed their guns at them "relax we've got this covered" Zayne then turned to him ignoring the troopers "we?"

Out from the shadows came three more Jedi; one Falleen female, one male Ho'din and one young male Nagai. The three entered formation and in a flurry of synchronised slices and stabs with their lightsabers the stormtroopers were quickly defeated. The three turned to Zayne and Shad, they were the other Padawans of Taris, all of them famous in some way; The Falleen Padawan named Kamlin, she was the responsible for the capture of P'den Robalt; Gharn, not just one of the few Nagai Jedi candidates but also one of the youngest Padawans of the new order who would be graduating at the age of 14, and the Ho'din male was Oojoh, he brought down the whole Leverby smuggling ring just by himself. These three along with Shad were the beloved Padawans of Taris and were the future defenders of the system. After the knighting ceremony they would be designated their planet and sent to establish republic rule and stop any insurgency, all of them were worthy of being called Jedi Knights but Zayne knew he would never be one of them. Whilst they carved up their enemies with a lightsaber, Zayne would hold up his hands and surrender.

"Thanks" was all he could say to them, he was still shell shocked from the blast "no problem Zayne" Gharn responded, the others nodded politely also, they were kind and always sympathetic towards Zayne, his fellow students knew he tried his best, but it was the masters who resented his failures. Shad had already rushed towards the pillar where his sister was finally coming out of hiding "hey are you alright" Shel was a bit weak from shock but could still respond "I'm fine, Zayne got me away from the explosion" Shad turned back to his best friend "Thank you" he softly said.

As Gharn and Shad injected both Zayne and Shel with Kolto injections Oojoh and Kamlin were investigating the troopers. "it seems that they set up a short-range T-T bomb in the foyer, it's design was to push you two off the edge of the roof with the blast" Kamlin said as she was looking through the scraps of metal. "It nearly succeeded" Zayne retorted as the med-pack was settling in "the question is why would stormtroopers attack Zayne and Shel" Shad queried "It could be because of me, I'm close to Senator Goravvus" Shel answered next to her brother "Then how did they know you'd be here?" Zayne added "and why reveal themselves now and in this way?" but Oojoh found evidence to answer these questions "I do not think these are First Order stormtroopers" he said as he removed one of their helmets "look at this one's face, he is wearing teal warpaint, the order does not allow this" Kamlin inspected another trooper "so does this one, you think their mercenaries?" Shad entered the conversation "Mercenaries who disguised themselves as stormtroopers or mercenaries who were paid to make it look like stormtroopers?" Oojoh reacted with another theory "they could just be bounty hunters who stole stormtrooper equipment, we cannot be sure they were intentionally framing the order". Zayne decided to say his final word on the matter "what we can be sure is that they were targeting me and Shel, by that reasoning they either have a personal vendetta against the Senate or The Jedi, either way that makes them the enemy"

By this point it was getting late, evening had turned to night and all of them had to return home. Shad took Shel back to her apartment whilst Zayne went back to packing his things in his room. As he was doing so he thought about what Shel had said about his dream was becoming a Jedi. Zayne spent his whole life being told that the only righteous form of living is to follow the Jedi code, but was it something he actually wanted to live by? Or has he just been indoctrinated by the order? But one thing he did know was that if he failed the trials he would never return to Taris and he would not see Shel again. And he couldn't have that. He put his case away and sat on his bed, he turned the Holo-projector off meaning he was sitting in silence. He closed his eyes and meditated, doing as he was taught he reached out with his feelings and focused his mind on the location of Marn Hierogryph. The room began to shake, paintings fell from the walls and a massive jolt of pain hit him, he lost concentration for a moment but soon recovered still focusing on that thought "where is Marn Hierogryph" the pain inside his head was rising, he was about to pass out, objects around him began floating in the air, he could hear his blood pumping through his body when suddenly "AHHH!"

He fell back onto the bed, his forehead sweating and him struggling to breath. He looked up to see Q'Anilia above him holding out her hand over his body. She retracted her arm and spoke down to him "I know you think the Force is a tool we Jedi use to locate others, this is true, we can use it to track people and see their intent. But you cannot, you are weak and dangerous, be glad that I was here to prevent your outburst from effecting the others in this enclave" and she left the room. Zayne continued to lie there recovering his strength but all the while feeling glad because his 'outburst' as Q'Anilia called it paid off, because just before he collapsed he saw where Marn Hierogryph was, and now he can catch him and bring him to justice, and maybe, just maybe complete the trials.


End file.
